All Across Africa: Tanzania

Wild safaris, bushwhacking treks, cultural close encounters—the new trend on the ancient continent is Africa as it was.

Text by Costas Christ

Photograph Courtesy of Nomad Tanzania

2. Tanzania

Stalk a Big Park

Megafauna need megaturf, and sprawling Selous Game Reserve—bigger than Switzerland—provides ample room to maneuver. This is Africa as Livingstone saw it, dense and uninhabited. Few tourists venture this far off Tanzania’s established safari circuit. "It’s not for everyone," says Sandy Cunningham, president of Uncharted Outposts, which specializes in delivering on its name. "But for people seeking a next-level Africa adventure, this is it." Bush plane access puts visitors on the ground in the heart of the 21,235-square-mile Selous wilderness—the oldest and largest protected area on the continent—among 60,000 elephants, plus lions, greater kudu, sable antelope, and rare wild dogs. Of course, this is still East Africa, where luxury safaris were born (Teddy Roosevelt had champagne and a bathtub along on a 1909 expedition). Sunset G&Ts, white-linen bush dinners, and hot showers are standard even in the back of beyond ($6,895 per person; unchartedoutposts.com).